Thousands of Kent school children will find out today which secondary school they will be going to in September when they are told the outcome of their applications for places.

But a computer glitch in the county council's systems means a number of parents found out sooner than expected after several were able to access a website notifying them of their applications a day earlier. It is not clear how many parents were affected by the glitch.

County education chiefs are optimistic the numbers of 10 and 11-year-olds across Kent who will get a place at their preferred school will rise this year.

Around 17,500 applications from Kent were processed this year.

But as in previous years, the scramble for places at the most heavily over-subscribed schools is bound to cause disappointment for some.

Last year, 78.5 per cent received first preference placements, with 11.5 per cent being offered their second.

While KCC expects that to increase slightly, nationally around one in five children moving from primary to secondary are likely to miss out.

It has already emerged some children who passed the 11-plus may not at this stage be offered a grammar school place.

It follows concerns raised last year when some children were offered places at the county's selective schools miles away from their homes. In one case, a student from Sevenoaks was offered a grammar place at a school in Folkestone.

Kent County Council will send out emails to parents who applied online later today at about 4pm while those who applied by post will receive letters either Tuesday or Wednesday.